"What do Tootsie Rolls have to do with the Korean War? Visitors to this weekend's Tribute to Korean War Veterans will find out, specifically at 4 p.m. Saturday when a box containing thousands of the treats will be dropped by parachute at the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport in Benton Harbor.

Don Alsbro, president of Lest We Forget, the event's sponsor, said the candy's connection to the war dates back to November and December 1950 when outnumbered U.S. soldiers and Marines were encircled by Chinese invaders and North Korean soldiers at the Chosin Reservoir. Alsbro said the Marines sent a message that they were running low on 60 millimeter artillery ammunition and referred to the ammo by its Tootsie Rolls code name.

But someone in the rear wasn't aware of the code and sent the real thing instead. As it turned out, the candy was a godsend…"Main pagelink